In the most recent iOS 18.3 beta release, Apple temporarily disabled the Notification Summary function for news and entertainment apps. Following intense criticism for Apple Intelligence’s egregious mistakes in summarizing news notifications, which led to misunderstandings and false information, this decision was made.
Notification Summary
By combining related alerts into one group, the Notification Summary feature was created to make it easier for users to digest news. But in November 2024, it came under fire for producing false summaries.
For instance, The New York Times revealed a mistake in which pieces on three different subjects were mixed together to make it appear as though Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been taken into custody.
Similarly, a collection of BBC notifications implied that Luigi Mangione, who was charged with the murder of Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, had committed himself.
Since these mistakes exposed Apple Intelligence’s flaws, the firm has decided to temporarily disable the feature until the problems are fixed.
How to Disable
You can manually disable your iPhone’s Notification Summary feature if you’re concerned about errors. Here’s how:
- Launch the Settings application.
- Choose Notifications by scrolling down.
- Toggle the Summarize Notifications option off by tapping on it.
This guarantees that you won’t get AI-generated summaries and will only receive notifications for certain apps.
Beta Features
Apple is releasing more personalization choices with the iOS 18.3 beta version in spite of the setback:
- Disable Directly: From the Lock Screen or Notification Center, users may now disable Notification Summary for particular apps.
- Italicized Summaries: To set summarized notifications apart from regular notifications, they will now be italicized.
- Error Warnings: Apple will alert consumers to the possibility of inaccuracies in summaries.
- Beta Disclaimer: Users are reminded by the company that the Notification Summary function is still in beta and may be improved.
Looking Ahead
According to Apple, after the AI-powered Apple Intelligence system is improved, the capability will be activated again. While fixing the issues with its AI technology, the company is still dedicated to improving the user experience.
